Jeffrey Colin Merrow (born July 12, 1953) is a former

defensive end Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football. This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formation (American football), formations over the years have substantially ...

who played nine seasons in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The Falcons were founded o ...

as a member of their famed Grits Blitz defense. He played collegiately for the

West Virginia Mountaineers The West Virginia Mountaineers are the athletic teams that represent West Virginia University in Morgantown, West Virginia. The school is a member of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. The Mountaineers have been a membe ...

Collegiate career

Jeff Merrow enrolled at

West Virginia University West Virginia University (WVU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university with its main campus in Morgantown, West Virginia, United States. Its other campuses are those of the West Virginia University Ins ...

in 1972, and as a freshman, he recorded his lone interception. As a sophomore one year later, he led head coach Bobby Bowden's defense with 141 tackles (15 for a loss), six sacks, and a fumble recovery. In his junior season, 1974, Merrow recorded 134 tackles (seven for a loss), three sacks and two fumble recoveries.

Professional career

Merrow was drafted by the

in the

1975 NFL draft The 1975 NFL draft was held January 28–29, 1975, at the New York Hilton at Rockefeller Center in New York City, New York. With the first overall pick of the draft, the Atlanta Falcons selected quarterback Steve Bartkowski. Player selectio ...

in the 11th round, 263rd overall. In 1975, his rookie season, Merrow played in and started 12 games. From 1976 to 1978, he played and started in 14 games each season. In 1977, he was part of the so-called Grits Blitz defense, widely considered to be one of the greatest of all time. In 1979, Merrow played in only three games due to an injury that cut short his season. One year later, he started all 16 games in a season for the first time in his career. In 1982, Merrow saw action in only eight games, starting seven of them. In 1983, at age 30, he ended his professional career by playing in all 16 games, recording three sacks.

Current

Merrow now lives in Buford, Georgia, where he owns a business that sells heavy-duty truck lifts. Merrow's youngest son, Thor, followed in his father's footsteps, accepting a scholarship offer to play at WVU in 2005. He was a back-up tight end at the University of North Alabama under head coach Terry Bowden.

References

1953 births Living people American football defensive linemen West Virginia Mountaineers football players Atlanta Falcons players 20th-century American sportsmen {{defensive-lineman-1950s-stub